BERRINBA PARKRUN REVIEW

GETTING THERE

This event has excellent access. When driving there for the first time, I was a bit unsure of my GPS directions because I was taken through an industrial area that was undergoing some development. But my fears were allayed when I drove out into Wayne Goss Drive and saw all the other cars.

PARKING

Parking is a bit of a problem. This is a popular event so the number of car parks available are quite minimal compared to the number of participants. However, there is a lot of street parking and as I have said previously, this is a good opportunity for a warm-up jog prior to starting.

TOILETS

There is a modern toilet block and viewing platform, which is clean, new and well maintained. They got a bit busy just before we started, but it was sufficient. I had about a 25 minute drive to get there so I had ample time to prepare before the run.

THE COURSE

This course is amazing. It is a full 5km loop. As a result of this, there is never the opportunity to get bored. The paths are for the most part, paved or on boardwalks which are fantastic. There is a section that runs on a pedestrian footpath around the edge of the parklands and gives us a view of the surrounding neighbourhood which is a bit narrow, but it wasn’t of much concern at the time.

I can imagine that this can be a quite busy public facility, which always offers the problem of potential bumping and runner obstruction, but at 7:00am on a Saturday morning, it didn’t seem to be a problem. I did pass a couple of elderly folks out on a walk but at that point, the pathway was wide and there was ample room for maneuver.

The course itself is amazing. The parklands are beautiful and well maintained. The pathways are ample and easy to run on. The course is also reasonably flat which gives the runner an easy opportunity for a PB. The biggest bonus for me is the single loop. It is also well marked so I knew exactly how many k’s I had run along the way.

VOLUNTEERS

This is a popular event and on the day I participated, there were almost 300 other people on the course. I was there on the day of the 100^th birthday so it was alive with celebration. The volunteers were very well spaced out. Because it is a single loop, there isn’t much need for many people out on the course which is fantastic. There was one point on the corner of Anderson Street and Freshwater Drive where I was a bit uncertain about whether to turn or not, but that was because I was a fair distance behind the next runner, but had looked at the map prior to running, it would have been obvious.

The run directors and volunteers were amazing. There was a lovely community vibe going on, but I should imagine this was accentuated by it being their 100^th event. I noticed that they recently celebrated all the people who participated in the Gold Coast weekend, which is a lovely sign of a running community, who know their stuff and are passionate about the sport.

There was a full range of runners that day with the exception of the elite runners. I positioned way too high on the results page, indicating that the top runners that day had probably gone elsewhere for their PB’s. Nevertheless, there were encouraging numbers of children, families, strollers and dogs as well as my veteran teammates.  I missed seeing the lanky 16 year olds bolting out in front but the up side was it exaggerated my position so I am grateful for that. I also managed to bump into a couple of friends that day and even ran with Maria which was awesome because she achieved her PB that day.

PHOTOS

The Facebook page is well organized with photos and it was easy to find a picture of myself on the day that I participated. Because the event runs along a full circle, it is difficult to take pictures from numerous vantage points so there is a need for two photographers, but this is a very minor problem to have considering this is a lovely unique event.

Clickhere for the Facebook page

THE ALL IMPORTANT COFFEE AFTERWARDS

Considering that this event is so popular, I was surprised not to see a coffee van that day. I guess, there are only so many coffee entrepreneurs around and so they have to choose the most profitable event for their Saturday. Unfortunately, because this event borders an industrial area, there is quite a distance to the nearest local coffee shop.

In saying that, Blackout Coffee is a mere 6 minutes away by car and Limestone Bistro and bar, 9 minutes away. I was however on my own that day so I just drove home after the event.

OVERALL 

This event has to score high. I love the single loop and the parkland is beautiful. The volunteers and race director are enthusiastic. The missing coffee van and the short stretch of narrow footpath prevent this event from scoring a perfect 10, but my goodness me, they are close. The Gary rating for this event is a superb 9.75/10. Well done.